Date:[30th April ,2026]
Location: My home → Mandawar (Hariom’s Hospital) → Road back to village
Morning / Afternoon: The Panic
The room was filled with the sound of kirtan—devotional songs my mother had organized. Then, suddenly, everything stopped. My sister-in-law cried out, clutching her chest. Her face went pale, and she winced with every breath. For a moment, even the singers froze. Then came the whispers—some of the ladies from the kirtan group started calling it “paranormal activity.” I had to scold them sharply. This wasn’t ghosts or spirits. This was a medical emergency. I cannot abide ignorance in a moment of real crisis.
The Decision – Mandawar
I had already thought of Mandawar. The town has a hospital—Hariom’s Hospital. Not great, but better than nothing. We bundled her into the car: me, my brother Balram, and my aunt Mamata. On the way there, my sister-in-law grew worse. The pain was so intense she started beating her hands against the car window, as if losing her mind. Balram drove faster. My heart was pounding.
At Hariom’s Hospital – Disappointment
The building was shabby. The staff moved slowly. We paid a lot—far too much for what they offered. The doctor’s assistant checked her blood pressure, then ordered an ECG, chest X-ray, and CBC. We had to take her down to an underground lab for the tests. It felt cold and claustrophobic down there. But we waited. After some time, the reports came.
The doctor read them, then looked up. “Everything is normal. It’s just gas from indigestion.”
Gas. All that terror, all that pain, all that money—for gas. Relief and anger mixed together.
Evening: The Calm
They gave her injections and started an IV drip. Slowly, the color returned to her face. She stopped writhing. She could breathe again. By 7 PM, she was stable. The chief physician wrote out prescriptions, and we bought a bundle of medicines from the nearby medical store. We sat for a moment in the car before leaving, taking a deep, collective breath of rest.
Night: Returning Home
On the way back to the village, we decided to stop. Bought some fresh vegetables—I don’t even remember what kind now. Then we each had a cold papaya shake. Sipping it slowly. The sweetness helped wash away the sourness of the day. No more paranormal talk. No more panic. Just family, driving home in the dark, grateful that it was nothing worse.
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